One of the joys of summer in temperate climates is eating freshly picked sweet corn. The briefly cooked kernels are sweet and crisp and usually need no more than a sprinkling of salt and pepper, or perhaps a pat of butter. The season for this golden grain, which many people erroneously consider a vegetable, is fleeting, and corn lovers anticipate it just as happily as they do the tomato crop, frequently pairing the two at meals. But corn plays an important role in our culinary universe year-round, not just during its short season.
Corn, whose true name is maize, is one of the most important crops in the world. It is used to make oil, corn syrup, cornstarch, cornmeal, breakfast cereal, bread and tortillas. In addition, field corn is fed to cattle and hogs, which is perhaps its most expansive role.
Not all corn is yellow. Some types are white or a mixture of white and yellow kernels. Blue corn, grown in the Southwest and Mexico, is used mainly for chips, cornmeal and flour. Popcorn, a sizable crop, is used for only one thing.
Selecting
Sweet corn is available fresh, canned and frozen. When fresh, it is sold on the cob, usually still in its outer green husk. It is at its best when just picked, with the freshest ears usually found at farmer's markets. Choose ears with green husks with no signs of browning or drying. They should feel cool, never noticeably warm. The silk, or tassels, should be pale yellow and moist, showing no signs of drying or rot. Whether the kernels are yellow or white or a combination of the two, they should be tightly packed in even rows and look plump and juicy.
Freshness is more crucial than the color of the kernel. If shopping in a supermarket, buy corn only if it is displayed in a refrigerated section. The ear may be partially husked and wrapped in plastic, revealing the kernels.
When you tear back the husk to view the corn in the market, you are shortening its shelf life. Once the husk is removed, the corn begins to lose moisture and freshness more quickly.
Corn kernels are also sold frozen, and you can sometimes find frozen corn on the cob. Frozen corn retains much of its good flavor and texture and can be used in place of fresh corn in many recipes.
Storing
Keep fresh sweet corn wrapped in its husks in a cool place (a cooler or the refrigerator) until you are ready to cook it, preferably for no longer than a day. The natural sugar in corn begins to turn to starch the minute the ear is picked, so corn should be consumed as soon as possible after harvest. But this time-honored admonishment about corn is not as true as it once was. Growers have developed new supersweet and sugar-enhanced varieties that make longer storage (and, consequently, long-distance shipping) possible. This means that some fresh in-season corn will keep for more than a day, and that out-of-season corn on the cob now may be quite delicious, although traditional summertime feasts of golden fried chicken and butter-slathered ears of corn seldom taste as good on a blustery fall day.
Preparing
Strip the husks and silk from the ears, snapping the leaves off the bottom along with any remaining stem (unless you want to keep it as a handle for eating). To remove stubbornly clinging strands of corn silk, scrub the corn with a vegetable brush under cold running water.
You can drop fresh corn into boiling water and cook it quickly, roast it in the oven or grill it on a barbecue, usually brushed first with oil or butter and wrapped in foil. Four or five ears may be cooked successfully in the microwave. The kernels can be cut from the cob and sautéed, steamed, boiled or added to soups, fritters, puddings, stews, casseroles, salads and fresh relishes.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Companion (Time-Life Books, 2000).
Corn, whose true name is maize, is one of the most important crops in the world. It is used to make oil, corn syrup, cornstarch, cornmeal, breakfast cereal, bread and tortillas. In addition, field corn is fed to cattle and hogs, which is perhaps its most expansive role.
Not all corn is yellow. Some types are white or a mixture of white and yellow kernels. Blue corn, grown in the Southwest and Mexico, is used mainly for chips, cornmeal and flour. Popcorn, a sizable crop, is used for only one thing.
Selecting
Sweet corn is available fresh, canned and frozen. When fresh, it is sold on the cob, usually still in its outer green husk. It is at its best when just picked, with the freshest ears usually found at farmer's markets. Choose ears with green husks with no signs of browning or drying. They should feel cool, never noticeably warm. The silk, or tassels, should be pale yellow and moist, showing no signs of drying or rot. Whether the kernels are yellow or white or a combination of the two, they should be tightly packed in even rows and look plump and juicy.
Freshness is more crucial than the color of the kernel. If shopping in a supermarket, buy corn only if it is displayed in a refrigerated section. The ear may be partially husked and wrapped in plastic, revealing the kernels.
When you tear back the husk to view the corn in the market, you are shortening its shelf life. Once the husk is removed, the corn begins to lose moisture and freshness more quickly.
Corn kernels are also sold frozen, and you can sometimes find frozen corn on the cob. Frozen corn retains much of its good flavor and texture and can be used in place of fresh corn in many recipes.
Storing
Keep fresh sweet corn wrapped in its husks in a cool place (a cooler or the refrigerator) until you are ready to cook it, preferably for no longer than a day. The natural sugar in corn begins to turn to starch the minute the ear is picked, so corn should be consumed as soon as possible after harvest. But this time-honored admonishment about corn is not as true as it once was. Growers have developed new supersweet and sugar-enhanced varieties that make longer storage (and, consequently, long-distance shipping) possible. This means that some fresh in-season corn will keep for more than a day, and that out-of-season corn on the cob now may be quite delicious, although traditional summertime feasts of golden fried chicken and butter-slathered ears of corn seldom taste as good on a blustery fall day.
Preparing
Strip the husks and silk from the ears, snapping the leaves off the bottom along with any remaining stem (unless you want to keep it as a handle for eating). To remove stubbornly clinging strands of corn silk, scrub the corn with a vegetable brush under cold running water.
You can drop fresh corn into boiling water and cook it quickly, roast it in the oven or grill it on a barbecue, usually brushed first with oil or butter and wrapped in foil. Four or five ears may be cooked successfully in the microwave. The kernels can be cut from the cob and sautéed, steamed, boiled or added to soups, fritters, puddings, stews, casseroles, salads and fresh relishes.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Companion (Time-Life Books, 2000).
